Gear

ThunderBay 4 RAID 5 Edition

ThunderBay 4 RAID 5 Edition Thunderbolt 2 RAID Storage

If you're unsure about adopting Thunderbolt technology for one reason or another, then wait no more. The need for speed is more important than ever to take advantage of your computer's potential and, for storage, connectivity was often the weak link. Enter the ThunderBay 4 from Other World Computing (OWC). Now that Thunderbolt 2 is in place with most newer computers, there are more peripherals than ever that take advantage of the new blazing throughput speeds and add the kind of expansion that make things like backing up huge video and design files far less time consuming.

Not only is this thing one of the fastest storage solutions on the market at this price, but it's incredibly well thought out and includes features like email notifications with the use of SoftRAID for OS X. According to OWC, by combining the best of hardware and software RAID features, they're able to deliver better performance with less drain on other computing tasks. Plus, the ThunderBay 4 has dual Thunderbolt 2 ports for even further expansion for things like monitors or hub expansion. With 32 MB of cache per drive (128 MB total), and depending on the drives you select, this thing is like a finely tuned F1 race car. While the unit itself weighs in at around 9 lbs (without the drives installed), it's quiet and smooth in its operation.

The ThunderBay 4 RAID storage isn't just fast, it's superior in performance to everything else in its class. It's available as a housing (bring your own drives), and in capacities from 4-24 TB (the 8-TB unit was tested). Other World Computing continues to produce outstanding storage solutions for nearly every need and this latest addition is one of their finest to date.

Company: Other World Computing
Price: $879
Web: www.macsales.com
Rating: 5
Hot: Speed; ease of use; expandable to 24 TB; quiet
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